The invention relates to displaying images generated by a camera, and, in particular, to images generated by an electronic camera attached to a medical viewing instrument.
In general, medical viewing instruments, such as endoscopes, are instruments for viewing the interior of an object, such as the human body. For example, during a surgical procedure, an endoscope is inserted into the body to view an internal organ or anatomical body passage, such as the intestine.
A typical endoscope includes an elongated outer tube within which a lens system is disposed at a distal end. Light reflected from the object being viewed travels through the lens system and exits at a proximal end of the tube for viewing by a user either directly or via an imaging device, such as an electronic camera having a charge coupled device (CCD). The camera generates a video signal that represents the optical image of the object being viewed with the endoscope. The video signal generated by the camera is processed and displayed on a display device, such as a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) Monitor.
In applications where a camera is used, a coupler having a zoom lens assembly may be positioned between the endoscope and the camera. The endoscope/coupler combination, in essence provides an endoscope with zoom capability.